Figures from the Sault’s entertainment industry want people to know that there are careers in show business locally.
Some of the region’s leading industry professionals will be at Rolling Pictures Sault Ste. Marie office at 498 Queen Street East Wednesday July 27 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to speak about the wide range of jobs available in the film and television industry. Industry professionals will provide an overview of entry level and skilled jobs and how to get your foot in the door.
One such professional will be actor Trish Rainone, a Sault native.
“At one time there was no film industry at all in Sault Ste. Marie or northern Ontario. At my high school graduation, when they announced I was going to university for film studies, the entire audience erupted in laughter,” Rainone said, speaking to SooToday on Friday.
A Sir James Dunn Collegiate graduate, she earned a degree in psychology from Algoma University and a diploma in autism and behavioural sciences from Thunder Bay’s Confederation College.
After working for six years in that sphere, she returned to her original dream of pursuing a career in acting in film and TV.
“Once films started coming to Sault Ste. Marie I felt really inspired to just get on set. I tried out some background acting, I tried out production assisting and then just knew it was what I wanted to do, so I moved to Toronto.”
There she enrolled in film, screenwriting, acting and improv classes, found an agent and began her entertainment career.
Rainone is best known for an appearance in the 2016 film The Void (shot in Sault Ste. Marie), co-creating, co-writing and acting in two seasons of the TV comedy series My Roommate's an Escort, her role in the comedy TV series Pink Is In (now shooting its third season) and for being one of the producers of the film A Christmas Letter on CBC and CBC Gem in 2021.
“I audition for about three to four TV or film roles a week. A lot of the more significant roles I’ve had have been through creating my own sketch comedy and putting it on Instagram and then a producer sees it and reaches out and says ‘hey, I’ve written this role for you.’ I’ve put my work out that way. These days we all have a camera or iMovie on your cell phone, and there are various different editing softwares you can get. Aspiring actors have to create their own stuff and when you book something through an audition on a project that isn’t one that you’ve produced it’s a nice bonus but you definitely have to take control of your career and create work for yourself. That’s what’s worked for me,” Rainone said.
“I love working in this industry because it meshes both creativity and business, and there are jobs for people of every background and skill set.”
While in Toronto, many of the jobs she received at first were either in Sudbury or the Sault, so she returned to her hometown as the film industry here began to grow.
Eventually, Rainone and Rebeka Herron - a writer, director and producer who hails from Vancouver - formed a business partnership and launched 180 Sisterhood Productions in the Sault in 2019.
“We wanted to flip the narrative and focus on female driven stores, and we’re two female creatives,” Herron said.
Herron will also be in attendance at Wednesday’s event.
“We both create original ideas and turn them into either television or feature films and we also work with other filmmakers and filmmaking teams to bring their stories to the screen and we have a focus on growing the industry in the Sault and northern Ontario,” Herron said.
Rainone and Herron also plan to open an animation facility locally within the next six months.
The two are developing a new feature film to be shot in the Sault in August called Armchair Traveller.
Rainone, Herron and other industry professionals say that there are jobs available both in front and behind the camera.
“It pretty much takes a village to make a movie. You have an accounting team, a legal team, you have carpenters, transportation, hair and makeup, wardrobe, an art department, it really takes every kind of skill level out there to make a movie happen,” Herron said.
“If anybody has an interest in working in the film and television industry, it’s a great place to start to let folks like us, and Rosalie Chilelli of Edge Entertainment (another Sault production company) know that you’re interested and also let the City know you’re interested because they have a list of people that they recommend to other producers who come to town. We’re always actively looking to work with new folks and build a strong team here in the city.”
“In 2019-2020, film and television production in Canada reached a record $9.3 billion. Canadian content alone supported more than 62,000 direct and spin-off jobs,” wrote Josh Rogers, City of Sault Ste. Marie Tourism and Community Development film, TV and digital media coordinator in a release.
“Film and television careers are not those of just camera operators, directors, and editors. The industry is in desperate need of bookkeepers, food services, carpenters and electricians, hair and makeup, administrative and many other positions that might not be top of mind to the public. To build a local industry we need the services required to enable producers to travel light and not have to bring all the equipment and staff with them from outside the region,” wrote Robert Peace, Rolling Pictures community relations director.
“Rolling Pictures and Rolling North are looking to expand significantly in the coming years, and this expansion will be exclusive to Sault Ste. Marie. With access to high bandwidth, a growing talent pool and a wonderful arts community, we know the Sault will become a hub for the industry in Ontario,” Peace said.
Wednesday’s event is sponsored by Rolling Pictures North, Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), 180 Sisterhood Productions, Edge Entertainment, Sault College and the City of Sault Ste. Marie in partnership with the Sault Community Career Centre.
To attend this free event, RSVP online before Wednesday, July 27.